Just Checking
by taylorkat6
Summary: Jessica Stell's heart is shattered when her boyfriend Tyler; a popular jock, unexpectedly has to move away. In outrageous timing a new boy arrives and quickly gains popularity. Will history repeat itself? Or will Jessica be in for a killer surprise?


Chapter: 1

"I don't know how to tell you this." He said leaning against the brick wall of the north wing of our school. I rolled my eyes and pulled my back pack farther over my shoulder.

"It's not like I don't know what you're going to say." He looked down at me, his eyebrows arching.

"You do?" I huffed and walked away, I could hear is hurried foot steps behind me.

"Wait, Jess." He said putting his hand on the small of my back, bringing me to a halt. I spun around, my cheeks red and angry.

"What is it Tyler, what could it possibly be that you could say?" He shook his head quickly, his eyes wide and confused. My face softened slightly at this. "Wait you're not cheating on me?" His eyes got even wider and his cheeks sucked in and his lips made a line.

"Why on earth would you think that?" His voice sharp, I could feel myself get smaller in my hoodie. His face got softer and he wrapped his arms around my waist, before I could lean in, he pulled out slightly looking me in the eye. "I can't continue our relationship any longer though." I bit down hard on my tongue and angrily yanked myself from his lose hold. I bit down hard, my whole face stinging has my vision blurred from the hot tears now running down my face and made my light brown hair stick to my cheeks. I didn't just walk, I jogged away from him. Being heavier set he caught up to me easily and once again stopped me in my tracks. "Would you stop that? Please." I huffed.

"There's nothing left to say." I grumbled, looking away from him knowing if I looked back at his angelic face I would begin crying.

"Yes there is." He said softly, I bit down harder and tasted blood. Whoops.

"Well let's hear it then." I said sharply. He sighed and said.

"I'm moving." Once he uttered those words I looked up, then stared back down at the slick concrete.

"Moving." I repeated. He sighed once more and reached his arms out, I moved in, one step. I was then enveloped with his warmth, his arms hugging me tightly. I leaned against his chest and reached up to touch the silver J around his neck. I could feel his lips resting on my hair and I breathed in his scent, a warm musk, of mint and cinnamon. I let out a soft squeak in my chest and began to cry. Maybe this seems a little bit dramatic, like a girl obsessed with her boyfriend after a break up. But it was in contrary because he wasn't breaking up with me, he loved me, but couldn't be there to love me. He was being ripped away from me, and we had discussed that if one of us should ever move that we could go our separate ways. Tyler and I were a very odd couple and I was often given dirty looks from girls who were disgusted that Tyler, a rather popular football player, with the third highest GPA out of all the seniors. Who had just happened to fall in love with a chubby book warm that spent most of her time with her ear buds in, blocking out the world. We had been together since freshman years, and since then several, taller, skinnier, more popular girls have tried to get in the way of that. But every time they just casual ran up to hug him, while I just happened to be there, he would instantly make an uncomfortable space and peel himself from the desperate arms of many girls. He liked me because I was different, he was so used to getting any girl he wanted and when he asked me out for the first time, I looked up, blushing and he smiled at this thinking that I would faint or something. But then I stood up slowly, everyone in the cafeteria staring directly at me, and I said "No thanks." You should have seen his face, along with the rest of the school. Some girls, with wide eyes let out a quiet moan-like "Oh my god!" And some of the boys raised their eyebrows at me and some even clapped, and cheered and whistled, as if I had done this amazing thing that was so unheard of. So after the gasps and cheers and dirty looks from girls and some guys I sat back down and tended to my book. He still stood there when I looked back up, his expression mostly shocked with a little bit of embarrassment. He slowly blinked, confused and made his way back to his table, most of the guys on the football team patted him on the back and tried to cheer him up with "She's not even that pretty Ty." or "Yea man, I heard Chelsea has a thing for you." I blocked them out as I pushed my ear buds back in and closed my eyes and drowned the world out again. The next day, as I pushed the school doors open bracing myself for a chilly walk home, I heard faint yelling of my name but I ignored it and kept walking, I viciously attempted to untangle my head phones as my name got louder and louder followed by "Hey, wait up!" I just kept walking. And a second later Tyler was there by my side, out of breath, his face red.

"What do you want?" He turned his head to the side, also not expecting this. He sighed as he walked in step with me, my pace hurried.

"Can I ask you something?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You just did." He smiled a big, pearly white smile at this and let out a short breathy "Ha!" I bit down on my lip trying not to smile back. But then all of the sudden his face got serious and he said.

"Why don't you want to go out with me?" I rolled my eyes at this. "No seriously, why? Did I say something wrong?"

"Let me guess, you have never had a girl say no to you before?" He thought for a minute. "That's what I thought and I said no because I don't know you and you don't know me."

"That's why I'm asking you out, because I want to know you." My lips made a line and I said.

"Well I don't." And I hurried my pace, sure enough he didn't follow me. I smiled at this and put my ear buds back in. Goodbye world.

As my whimpers came to a stop he kissed me on the fore head and hugged me longer. I tried my eyes with my sleeve and pulled myself slightly from his tight hold. The evidence of my tears on his shirt. I looked up sheepishly.

"Sorry." He shrugged and put his finger tips under my chin to pull me closer, his lips touched mine and I smiled as he released. "When do you move?" I said, watching my step as we made the long journey across the school parking lot to his car. We walked in silence for a moment and he finally said.

"Three days." I immediately stopped and looked at him. He winced knowing how I was going to react. I stood there for a second studying his face, waiting for me to have another panic attack out in the school yard, good thing everybody had already moved along after he shot a couple people a look and they scurried.

"How long have you known about this?" I said, trying to keep my voice even.

"A few weeks or so." I made a face and just kept walking.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I said waiting for him to unlock his car, I got in and slammed the door.

"Because-" He said shutting his door softly. "That would have made the goodbye that much harder." I scoffed.

"Yea, for you." He smiled lightly at this. He had always liked that I spoke my mind, the ends of my mouth curled and he saw this. Damn.

"No, because if I would have told you sooner you would have had a panic attack and tried to squeeze in every single second with me until I was gone. I nodded. He pulled out of his space and made the long loop to the exit.

"And that would have been a bad thing?" He shook his head. He put on his blinker and turned.

"Not at all, that's why I told you three days earlier so we could. But I wanted to remember us for exactly what we were; a crazy, dysfunctional mess of a couple." I laughed at this. "And I just wanted us to be normal, so I could take it all in. The past three and a half years have been the best of my life for little things like, sneaking up on you in art class or glancing up and seeing up at every game."

"Even the away games." I said quietly and he laced his fingers with mine.

"I just needed it to be exactly how it was, not a hurried, crumbled mess trying to squeeze in everything that we hadn't done." I thought for a moment, well there was a lot we hadn't done but you can't really squeeze college, wedding and kids all in three days. Wait a minute.

"You mean that I would feel like I needed to sleep with you?" He winced. Of course.

"I just didn't want you to feel rushed, like you had to because I was leaving." I took a deep breath through my nose, it sounded so loud in the quiet of his Chevy.

"I don't feel rushed, or pressured at all." He raised his eyebrows. I smiled.

"You don't?" I shook my head.

"But," He looked over at me.

"But what?" I looked up at the ceiling and smiled, feeling embarrassed. I could feel his smile on me.

"I would like to." His smiled grew bigger. And I rolled my eyes at this. He knew how I had felt, it wasn't that I was extremely religious and _had_ to wait. I just did. I was smarter than that, I wanted to make sure that he liked me for real and wouldn't just drop me after I did. I had to make sure I was ready, and so was he. Because even though he was a teenage boy, I knew deep down he wasn't emotionally ready for it. Not then. But now? It had been three and a half years. I was planning on doing it on our fourth year anniversary anyway. As we pulled up to my house, I sat there staring out the window and just before he said something, I leaned over and kissed him. He was a lot smoother than I thought it would be and he kissed me back. His hand cupped my face gently and my fingers ran through his blonde hair. I could taste the pain, the tears that had fallen for both him and myself. I knew that he had tried to act as calmly as possible, trying not to kiss me every chance he got but I could feel him let go. My tears ran down my cheek and I pulled away gently, he wiped them softly, the pads of his fingertips trailing down my face.


End file.
